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Chatmaster shouts, Put your faith into action. Join the Prayer Warrior Ministries email prayer chain. Just send an email to prayerwarriorministries@hotmail.com with the word signup in the subject line." |
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Chatmaster shouts, Don't miss our next TNIV Chat when we'll have a round table discussion with Dr. Strauss and Dr. Youngblood as well Rev. Bayly and Dr. Grudem. Join us on Thursday, May 9 at 9 p.m. ET. http://chat.crosswalk.com/events" |
| stormyhost asks, The NIV and TNIV are referred to as "dynamic equivalent," meaning they are somewhere between literal translation and paraphrase. Isn't that a dangerous thing, considering most people don't know which things are literally translated and which are paraphrased? |
| Dr.Strauss says, Actually, the claim that literal translation means accurate is false. Functional equivalent translations (sometimes called Dynamic equivalent) are translations that seek to capture the precise meaning of the original. This should be the ultimate goal of all translation, to capture the meaning of the original Greek or Hebrew. Let me give you an example closer to home. If I say in Spanish, "Como se llama?" what is the most accurate translation? A literal translation would be something like "How do you call yourself?" but in fact the closest English equivalent is "What is your name?" This latter translation is more accurate because it captures the meaning of the Spanish in clear English. It is the same in Hebrew and Greek. Our goal is not to reproduce forms in a word-for-word manner, but to as precisely as possible capture the original meaning. |
| bjc40 asks, is this just another version of the "Westcott and Hort"? |
| Dr.Strauss says, This is a very complex question, but no, this has nothing to do with Westcott and Hort, who were scholars who developed a theory of textual criticism. Almost all modern translations follow the theories of Textual Criticism developed by WH, but this has nothing to do with translation theory, but only to do with the copying and transmission of the original text. |
| ibtrying2 asks, Can you explain why you think the Colorado Springs Guidelines signers are so adamantly against the TNIV? |
| Dr.Strauss says, The Colorado Springs Guidelines were developed in the context of the furor surrounding the NIVI (published in Great Britain). Those who wrote the Guidelines felt the NIVI was on the slippery slope of feminism, which they adamantly opposed. As I have pointed out above, this issue is a translational one that has nothing to do with the role of women in the church and the home. But those who developed the Guidelines felt like these issues were inextricably linked. As I noted above, I and many other conservatives on the women's issue strongly support the TNIV because of its accuracy. |
| ibtrying2 asks, John Kohlenberger III states that much of the opposition to the TNIV is because of those preferring "male inclusive" versions of the bible. How do you react to this? |
| Dr.Strauss says, I think John is right, though I probably wouldn't say it in this manner. He is pointing out that many who oppose the TNIV are those in power (men), who want to retain power. My problem with all of this is leadership, Jesus' style, is never about power, but about empowerment. The debate over women in ministry, unfortunately, is all about power. Men have power. Women want power. But biblical leadership is not about power. Jesus said if you want to be great, become a servant. A true leader empowers others to be all that God wants them to be. It is male abuse of leadership that has created the women's movement, and we are living with its consequences. We in the church need to be counter-cultural, and to elevate women to the status that God has given them, as co-heirs of God's salvation. |
| ben25 asks, What about places where the TNIV changes singular pronouns to plurals? What do you think of that? |
| Dr.Strauss says, That is another good question, and we could get into a complex answer. What we need to realize is, again, that meaning is our goal. If a plural construction accurately captures the meaning of the singular, then it is accurate. |
| Dr.Strauss says, If it does not capture the meaning, it is inaccurate. Unfortunately all translation loses something. If I introduce the word "he", I lose something of the inclusive meaning of the original. If I introduce a plural, I risk losing something of the meaning of the original. Translation is always about balance and discernment, trying to capture as much of the meaning as possible. I should also add that the idea of always using singulars in English for singulars in Hebrew and Greek simply won't work, since these are different languages. For example, the Hebrew word for God is plural in form (Elohim), though singular in meaning. The word for heaven in Hebrew and Greek is the same. We don't say "Gods" or "heavens" because we are translating according to meaning not form. It is the same with using plurals for singulars in order to indicate the inclusive sense of the original. |
| Fritzpw_Admin says, Thank you for taking the time to Chat with us tonight Dr. Strauss. Is there anything you would like to say in closing? |
| Dr.Strauss says, Let me encourage everyone to gain as much information about this issue before drawing a conclusion. All of us have the same goal: to translate the original Hebrew and Greek texts as accurately as possible into contemporary English. This issue is not about a "politically correct" Bible, but about the changing nature of English and the need to periodically update our translations. I would also encourage everyone to use a variety of Bible translations, and to consult the many excellent study resources as well. No human interpreter or translator is infallible, so if we want to understand God's infallible Word we must listen to the voices of many interpreters, and use our minds to discern the meaning that God intended. |
| Fritzpw_Admin says, Thank you all for coming to our Chat event tonight. Next Tuesday, April 16, we'll be chatting with Lisa Whelchel about Homeschooling. If you're a homeschooler or considering it you won't want to miss it. http://chat.crosswalk.com/events |
| Fritzpw_Admin says, Also if you are interested in the TNIV debate you won't want to miss our first ever Debate Chat with Rev. Bayly and Dr. Grudem as well as Dr. Strauss and Dr. Youngblood. It takes place on Thursday, May 9 at 9 p.m. ET right here in the Auditorium. http://chat.crosswalk.com/events |
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Who is Dr. Mark Strauss?
Dr. Strauss has written the article, "The TNIV and Gender-Accurate Language" as well as the book, "Distorting Scripture? The Challenge of Bible Translation and Gender-Accuracy". He is also the associate professor of New Testament at Bethel Thelogical Seminary--West Campus, San Diego, California and the author of several other books.
